Natural History

Bachelor of Arts - Biology; Natural History Option

College Humanities & Sciences

Catalog Year: 2016-2017

Degree Specific Credits: 73

Required Cumulative GPA: 2.0

Note: The natural history option is designed for students who seek an interdisciplinary science program. This option is not research-oriented, and is not considered a preparatory program for traditional research-based graduate programs. It is, however, designed for students seeking careers in environmental education, science writing or illustration, natural history or wildlife film-making, or natural history centers or museums. There is enough latitude in the requirements to allow for a minor or even a double major in a related field of interest (e.g. journalism, art, media arts, etc.).

Biology/Microbiology Lower Division Core

Rule: All of the following courses are required.

Note: The lower division core should be completed before attempting most upper division major courses.

AP Biology credit may be substituted for either BIOB 160N/161N or BIOB 170N/171N.

Show All Course Descriptions Course Credits
Show Description BIOB 160N - Principles of Living Systems
Offered autumn and summer. Unifying principles of biological structure-function relationships at different levels of organization and complexity. Consideration of reproduction, genetics, development, evolution, ecosystems, as well as the inter-relationships of the human species to the rest of life. Students requiring a laboratory should also register for BIOB 161N. Credit not allowed for both BIOB 101N and 160N.
 3 Credits
Show Description BIOB 161N - Prncpls of Living Systems Lab
Offered autumn and summer. Prereq., or Coreq., BIOB 160N. Lab experiences illustrate biological principles underlying growth, reproduction, development, genetics and physiology, and are designed to give students practice in scientific methods of description, development of hypotheses, and testing.
 1 Credits
Show Description BIOB 170N - Princpls Biological Diversity
Offered spring and summer.  Survey of the diversity, evolution and ecology of life including prokaryotes, viruses, protista, fungi, plants and animals.
 3 Credits
Show Description BIOB 171N - Princpls Biological Dvrsty Lab
Offered spring and summer.  Coreq., BIOB 170N. The diversity of life including prokaryotes, viruses, protista, fungi, plants and animals including structure and evolutionary relationships.
 2 Credits
Show Description BIOB 260 - Cellular and Molecular Biology
Offered autumn and summer. Prereq. BIOB 160N (preferred) or BCH 110/111 (preferred) or B- or higher in BIOH 112; and either CHMY 123 or CHMY 143. Analytical exploration of the structure and function of the cell, the fundamental unit of life, with an emphasis on energy transformations and information flow. Topics include molecular building blocks, membranes, organelles, and mechanisms of replication, gene expression, metabolism, signal transduction, cell birth, cell death, and cell differentiation.
 4 Credits
Show Description BIOB 272 - Genetics and Evolution
Offered spring. Prereq., either BIOB 260 OR both BIOB 160N and BIOB 170N/171N; and one of M 121, 122, 151, 162, or 171. Principles and mechanisms of inheritance and evolution. Population genetics, fossil record, macroevolution, speciation, extinction, systematics, molecular evolution.
 4 Credits
Minimum Required Grade: C- 17 Total Credits Required

Upper Division Core Courses Required by Natural History Option

Rule: All of the following courses are required.

Note: BIOE 342 Field Ecology at the Flathead Lake Biological Station may be substituted for BIOE 370/371

Show All Course Descriptions Course Credits
Show Description BIOE 370 - General Ecology
Offered autumn. Prereq., BIOB 272. Analysis of the distribution and abundance of plants and animals. Includes individual, population and community-level processes (e.g., population growth and regulation, competition, predation, succession, nutrient cycling, energy flow and community organization).
 3 Credits
Show Description BIOE 371 - Gen Ecology Lab (equiv to 271)
Offered autumn. Prereq. or Coreq., BIOE 370 and either STAT 216 or WILD 240. Methods of describing and testing alternative explanations for patterns in nature. The use of scientific methodology in ecology.
 2 Credits
Show Description BIOE 406 - Behavior & Evolution
Offered autumn. Prereq., BIOB 272. Diversity of animal  behavior in an evolutionary context including inheritance of behavior, diets, avoidance responses, mating systems and sexual selection, parental care, and evolution of animal groups and societies. 
 3 Credits
Show Description BIOO 320 - General Botany
Offered autumn. Prereq., BIOB 170N-171N, 260.  Prereq. or coreq., BIOB 272.  Anatomy, morphology, ecology and physiology of photosynthetic organisms.
 5 Credits
Show Description BIOO 335 - Rocky Mountain Flora
Offered spring. Prereq., one college-level course in Biology or consent of instr. Elements of the evolution, geography and natural affinities of flowering plants. Identification using a manual of native plants of Montana.
 3 Credits
Show Description BIOO 462 - Entomology
Offered alternate springs. Prereq. or Coreq., BIOB 272. The classification, morphology, anatomy, development, life-history, behavior and ecology of insects.  Labs include identification of major insect groups, internal and external anatomy and student collections.
 4 Credits
Minimum Required Grade: C- 20 Total Credits Required

Additional Upper Division Major Courses Required for Natural History Option

Rule: Complete one of the following courses

Show All Course Descriptions Course Credits
Show Description BIOO 470 - Ornithology
Offered spring. Prereq. or Coreq., BIOB 272; major of biology, Pre-Wildlife Biology, or Wildlife Biology, and must be of junior or senior standing. The classification, structure, evolution, behavior and ecology of birds.
 4 Credits
Show Description BIOO 475 - Mammalogy
Offered autumn. Prereq., BIOB 272. The evolution, systematics, anatomy, physiology and ecology of mammals.
 4 Credits
Minimum Required Grade: C- 4 Total Credits Required

Required Courses Outside of the Major

Minimum Required Grade: C-

Chemistry and Geology

Rule: Complete all of the following courses

Show All Course Descriptions Course Credits
Show Description CHMY 121N - Intro to General Chemistry
Offered autumn and spring. First semester of an introduction to general, inorganic, organic and biological chemistry.
 3 Credits
Show Description CHMY 123N - Intro to Organic & Biochem
Offered autumn and spring. Prereq., "C-" or equiv. in CHMY 121N or consent of instr. Second semester of an introduction to general, inorganic, organic and biological chemistry.
 3 Credits
Show Description CHMY 124N - Intro to Organic & Biochem Lab
Offered autumn and spring. Prereq. or coreq., CHMY 123N. Laboratory to accompany CHMY 123N.
 2 Credits
Show Description GEO 101N - Intro to Physical Geology
Offered autumn and spring. General geology including the work of wind, flowing water, glacial ice, gravity, earthquakes, volcanoes and plate tectonics in shaping the earth. 
 3 Credits
Show Description GEO 102N - Intro to Physical Geology Lab
Offered autumn and spring. Prereq. or coreq., GEO 101N (preferred) or 105N or 108N. A series of laboratory and field experiences designed around basic geologic processes and materials. Familiarization with common minerals, rocks, land forms, and structures. Intended to provide laboratory experience primarily with GEO 101N, but can be taken with or following any of the other freshman GEO courses listed above.
 1 Credits
Minimum Required Grade: C- 12 Total Credits Required

Cognate Electives

Rule: Complete 20 credits from the following disciplines (maximum of 10 credits/discipline): ANTY, ASTR, CHMY (excluding 121N, 123N, 124N), GPHY, GEO (excluding 101N, 102N), FORS, M, PHSX, STAT, or WILD

Note: Students should plan on taking M 121 or higher level M course (prerequisite for BIOB 272 and GER math requirement) and STAT 216 (prerequisite for BIOE 371).

Students interested in combining the Natural History Option with another subject area may, with the advisor's permission, substitute 20 credits in English - writing, journalism, photography, art, foreign language, business management, or other appropriate field.

Upper Division Writing Expectation for the Major

Rule: Complete the equivalent of a full writing course (either three 1/3 writing courses or one 2/3 writing course + one 1/3 writing course or one complete writing course).

Note: To meet the Upper Division Writing Expectation for the Major, Biology students take 2 or 3 partial writing courses (either three 1/3 writing courses or one 1/3 writing course and one 2/3 writing course) or one complete writing course. The Natural History Option requires one 2/3 writing course (BIOE 371) and several 1/3 writing courses (BIOO 320, BIOO 470 or BIOO 475). No additional writing courses must be taken to meet this requirement.

Minimum Required Grade: C-

Exception to the Modern/Classical Languages Requirement

Rule: Choose one of the following Math courses

Note: The Division of Biological Sciences has been granted an exception to the Modern/Classical Language Requirement. Either of these Calculus courses will satisfy this requirement. The Natural History Option does not require a calculus course; the Natural History student may choose to take one year of a modern or classical language, or they may take one of these calculus courses (which will count towards a cognate elective).

Show All Course Descriptions Course Credits
Show Description M 162 - Applied Calculus
Offered autumn and spring. Prereq., ALEKS placement >= 5 or one of M 121, 122 or 151. Introductory course surveying the principal ideas of differential and integral calculus with emphasis on applications and computer software. Mathematical modeling in discrete and continuous settings. Intended primarily for students who do not plan to take higher calculus.
 4 Credits
Show Description M 171 - Calculus I
Offered autumn and spring. Prereq., M 122 or 151 or ALEKS placement >= 5.  Differential calculus, including limits, continuous functions, Intermediate Value Theorem, tangents, linear approximation, inverse functions, implicit differentiation, extreme values and the Mean Value Theorem.  Integral Calculus including antiderivatives, definite integrals, and the Fundamental Theorem of Calculus.
 4 Credits
Minimum Required Grade: C-